Not All of the Important Things Are Easy to See
by Secretly.I.am.Number.Nine
Summary: This is my collection of short-stories! They are directly related to my story The Time for Ten, so watch for references. I hope you enjoy!
1. Jaime

****Hey, guys! This is the start of my short story series. Some short stories will be of actual characters, and some of characters I make up on my own, such as this one. Just as an FYI, these stories **_**are**_** related to The Time for Ten, my main story, so if anything seems odd or you get a reference, that's probably why. I hope you enjoy! :D**

**Character Pronunciation (just in case):**

**Janot: jane-it**

**Haale: hail**

**Altienna: all-tee-en-ah**

**Sagnos: sag-noose**

**Chlorie: klor-ee**

**Karra: car-ah**

**Braiy: braeh**

Short Story 1 - Jaime

Setråkus Ra is now holding the sword to my throat.

_This is it, I've made it so far. I hope what I've done will help the Garde_, I think to myself. As the sword pierces my throat, my life flashes before my eyes.

The first thing I see are my parents. They are smiling down at me from above my crib. A mobile is spinning above me and singing a Loric folk-song. My parents are softly singing along as they tuck me in for a good night's sleep.

The next scene is me as a seven year old. I am out in my front lawn with my Chimaera named Frankie. I am wearing a flowered pink skirt and a white tee-shirt.

"Janot, time for dinner!" My mom calls from the kitchen.

I sigh and rise to my feet. Frankie follows as I go inside. When I turn the corner to the kitchen, my face lights up into delight to see my favorite meal, sachford! It tastes just like the human's bacon, except even better. As I sit down at my seat, a new scene appears.

I am now a few years older, probably around ten, and I am walking home from school with my best friend, Haale. We are talking about what we learned that day in school, about legacies and how we could possibly develop them. Haale was ranting on about how she wants to be able to fly. She wants to soar above the planet and see its beauty in a large scale. I personally had always wanted to control the planet's elements, as in dirt and plants and all.

The scene shifts yet again, and now Haale and I are standing next to each other, jumping up and down screaming the lyrics as our favorite pop-singer, Devektra, is dancing around the stage. I remember that concert, Haale and I were fifteen. It was also the day we learned that we were Garde, so we were going to develop legacies. It was an amazing day.

This time the scene shows a seventeen year old Haale and me training in my backyard, along with our recently hired Cepan, Altienna. In the two years after that concert, I had developed telekinesis, hydrokinesis, and invisibility. Haale had developed telekinesis, healing, and flight. The day she learned to fly was amazing for her, it's what she always had wanted. As Altienna chucks knives and rocks at me and I deflect them, she has Haale fly through certain obstacles and hoops to practice controlling her legacies.

The scene shifts to a very memorable day. About three weeks before the invasion, nine of the ten elders decided to go to Earth to help them out with technology. Loridas decided to stay behind, but they needed to send some Loric to take her place. She chose ten Garde and nine Cepans to go instead of herself. Two of the Garde chosen were Haale and I, and another two were our schoolmates Sagnos and Chlorie. One of the Cepan chosen was Altienna, along with Karra and Braiy, Sagnos and Chlorie's Cepans. As we are about to board the ship taking the nine elders, nine Cepan, and ten Garde, Loridas stops us.

"What I am doing next is not an actual charm, but just a pre-prediction of what could be coming." She starts. She continues on to tell us the story of the ten Garde in prophecy who are going to be saving Lorien, and that we need to find and help them as soon as possible when they are on Earth.

She then continues on to crown us with numbers, in which we are supposed to pretend to be the next in line. Loridas told us that ten Garde, Numbers One through Ten, will be sent to Earth later. We are being crowned Gardes Eleven through Twenty. Sagnos is first, and is named Number Eleven. Next is Chlorie as Number Twelve. Some Garde who I don't know is named Number Thirteen, and then I am up. I feel a tingling as Loridas touches my head.

"You are hereby named Number Fourteen. Please proceed for further instruction." She says and I do so.

Haale is next, and she is smiling as wide as her mouth can go when Loridas touches her head and says, "Number Fifteen," and gives her the same directions.

Haale catches up to me and we squeal in excitement. We are going to Earth.

Another scene comes into view of Haale and I sitting in a bed talking about boys.

"When we get closer to Earth, I am _so_ asking out Sagnos." Haale says.

"Really? I never thought of you two together... I guess he's kind of hot." I respond.

Before Haale and I got into the gushy stuff, the scene changes again. The door to the ship is opening, and in pours the light. There is a small flock of humans outside, and the first Loric to step onto the planet is Pittacus Lore. He says a few things to the humans, and then he groups one human to each group. Luckily, Altienna, Haale and I stay together. Sadly though, Sagnos and Chlorie have been separated with their Garde to another human. I wave goodbye, and James blows a kiss to Haale. They did finally ask each other out. Then we turn to the human.

"Hi! I'm Veronica. To start off, we need human names for you guys. Anything on this list appeal to you?" Veronica asks and shows us a piece of paper.

"Oh, I like Hayley." Haale says to Veronica.

"All right! You're officially Hayley Porprista. And you two?" Veronica asks again.

"I'll go with Melanie." Altienna says.

"Awesome, welcome to Earth, Melanie Porprista. How about you, sweetie? What's your name going to be?" Veronica asks, and everyone looks at me with happy eyes and a smile.

I look confidently down at the name I picked and then back into Veronica's hazel eyes.

"Jaime. I want to be Jaime Porprista."

xxxxx

The next scene is multiple years later, now Hayley and I are twenty-two. We had been training all day. In the past years, I developed elemental manipulation and externa. Hayley had developed earthquake generation and lumen. Melanie has gotten older very quickly, possibly because of the Earth's bad air. Compared to Lorien, Earth's air was like breathing through a plastic bag with hundreds of microscopic holes. We are sitting down for dinner when Melanie reveals it to be sachford.

"My favorite." I say with a smile and happily dig in.

We had been living in the outskirts of San Diego since the day we got to Earth when suddenly Mogs started to appear around the city. Melanie went up to one and asked why the Mogadorians were here as well as the Loric, and that's when she was killed. The Mog swung around and sliced her right in half, Hayley and I couldn't do anything to save her. We stand frozen in shock as the Mog walks slowly up to us. I produce a dagger from my back pocket just in time to keep the Mog from blasting us to pieces, and then Hayley and I are on the move.

The scene changes to three years later, and now we are twenty-five and living in Boston. Over the past years, I had deliberately saved Garde, possibly some of the ten of prophecy, from Mog caves, with the help of Hayley. One day, though, the Mogs found our location and surprise attacked us in the middle of the night. We didn't stand a chance. We were whisked away to some foreign Mog base, but it looked similar to D.C. to me. We had been held captive for a whole year before they brought us to a stone room with nothing but Hayley and I in it. The two of us planned out what we were going to do, and after about five minutes, a sliding door opened and out came Setråkus Ra himself. Hayley was immediately pulled aside by some Mogs we didn't even notice enter behind us, and I am pulled into the air by Ra's telekinesis.

"Foolish Garde, thinking you could outsmart us Mogadorians and save the weaker Garde forever." Ra starts.

"And it worked for a long time." I respond.

Ra glares at me, and then point to a wall which opens to reveal two girls, one in her late teens with black hair and calming eyes, and the other a younger girl, maybe eleven, with blond hair and blue eyes. They both seem weak and frightened, but they jump to attention when they see us.

"Meet Seven and Ten." Ra sneers to Hayley and I.

"Who are they?" The older girl says strongly.

"This is Fourteen here," Ra says and points to me, "and that's Fifteen." He says and points in Hayley's direction. "They've been saving Garde for a long time now, and it's time for one of them to die. Then maybe they'll spill on where your friends are." Ra spits at Seven and Ten, who stare back defiantly.

Ra turns back to me. "Time to die." He says ferociously and lifts his massive sword.

I quickly lift the tube I've been storing in my pocket for years out using telekinesis, and I breath into it. A blue mist goes swirling out of my mouth, and with my last bit of telekinesis, I toss it to the taller Girl in the cage.

"Don't lose that. Hayley will help you." I say strongly.

The girl picks it up and shoves it in her pocket.

Setråkus Ra is now holding the sword to my throat. My memories have gone by, an it's time for me to go. I look into Hayley's eyes and silently tell her how much I loved her as a friend, and to never forget our cause, no matter what. Her eyes almost seem to say 'I promise', and then the sword goes through my throat. Hayley is released as I fall to the ground.

She bends down and tries to heal me, but it's too late.

"Jaime... Please, don't go. Jaime, Jaime!" She begins to say more loud. She sniffs and a tear falls to the ground.

She looks me straight in the eyes. "I promise." She says, and then my vision goes black, and all I hear is silence.

****Did that get emotional in the end? I hope so, that's what I wanted. :) Anyway, this story directly links to where The Time for Ten: Part One ended. Do you like the introduction to Hayley's character? How about Sagnos and Chlorie, do they seem familiar? Please review and see you soon!**

**-Chase**


	2. Young Love

****Hey, guys! This is the second chapter of my short-story series. Now we get a flavor of the ten Garde in prophecy. I have a ton of Eight/Marina fans out there, so this one is for you! This one goes back to before I revived Eight. Hope you enjoy!**

Short Story 2 - Young Love

I grab Eight's hand and we run down to the lake. We laugh and skip and jump and do _everything_ a girl could ever want. We splash around knee deep in the water and shove each other under, not caring if we get soaked. Together we lay on the shore, his arm wrapped under my neck and onto the ground beside me.

"Dinner time!" John yells from the cabin up the hill. The other Garde flock toward it.

"I feel like if we stay here, we could do anything, and be free. We could escape this war and just be us." Eight says to me.

Before I respond, the world around me fades, and then I'm sitting up in bed. It was all a dream.

I wipe off my face with my hands, and then look around the room. Eight had shared it with me. I got the right half, him the left. My side has few pictures of Adelina and I, and a few knickknacks here and there from when I travelled very young, before the convent. Eight's side has many more items from his time of being Vishnu. There are porcelain carved animals, books, and drawings. There is a single picture. I sluggishly get out of bed and walk over to it.

The picture is of Eight with two others. Eight is significantly younger, maybe 14 instead of 17, and there is also a taller man with his arm around a lady, whose face is scratched out with marker. I'm guessing that's Eight's Cepan Reynolds and his bitchy girlfriend Lola.

I continue to look around at his stuff. His animals are perfectly carved, not a flaw as the eye can see. The elephant statue even has pupils, and the stand of the statue is only the size of my palm. He must have worked on these for weeks. I carefully place it back on the shelf.

I step over to the next unit and see hundreds of books. Some are fiction, some are factual, and some are even diaries. I look behind me to make sure nobody is watching, and then I grab the diary on the far right. I skim the pages to his most recent entry, and I look at the date. Eight was killed three days ago, and this is labelled to four days ago. The night before he died. I start to read the entry.

xxxxx

_Dear Journal, _

_ Recently, I've grown quite fond of Marina. She has beautiful, black, flowing hair down just past her shoulders. Her grey eyes go perfectly with her tan complexion, and she is just tall enough to make it all come together in one gorgeous look. Her name, Marina, flows like the ocean waves, and reminds me of peace just be saying it. I am planning to soon come out and tell her I love her. I am not sure when, but I am hoping within the next week. All I need are some sea flowers and a sunset dinner. _

_Until next time, _

_ Eight._

_xxxxx_

I start to tear up as I read his latest entry. _He really did love me_, I think to myself. I place the journal back on the shelf, and then notice a slightly open drawer. I pull it out all the way to see a bundle of three aqua colored flowers tied with a red ribbon. That's when I lose it.

I start crying like I've never cried before; they are tears of sadness and love. It was totally unfair for me to lose another piece of my life that made me happy. I lean against the wall and then slide to the ground where I whimper and sniff quietly while I think about Eight and how much I miss him.

The door then opens and Six steps inside.

"Hey, Mar, time for-" She stops mid-sentence when she sees the situation.

I am sitting against the wall with my makeup running away with my tears. The flower drawer is open, and the journal is only half put away. Six walks up to me and squats down.

"Listen, I'll put your food in the fridge. Come out when you're ready." She says calmly.

I like her in the eyes, and she gets the memo to leave.

The quiet is somewhat satisfying, it allows me to regroup. I slowly stand up and walk back to the desk. I pick up the three flowers, and then walk to the open window. I untie the ribbon and stick the first flower out the window.

"For the good times we had." I say, and then drop the flower and let it fall hundreds of flights to the pavement.

I take the second flower with my free hand and hold it out the window.

"For the troubles we conquered." I say, a tear forming in my eye.

I take the third and final flower and give it a quick kiss. Then I hold it out the window. My tears are making my eyesight blurry.

"For our undying love." After a seconds pause, I release the flower.

At the same time, a single tear falls out of my eye and lands in my hand. It glows gold, shimmers, and then disappears.

"Our undying love." I repeat and walk out of the room.

****So, how was it? Eight/Marina are my favorite couple in the series. Thank you for the reviews last chapter and feel free to leave more today! Till next time,**

**-Chase**


	3. Jackie's Beginning - Part 1

****Hey, guys! This is a special short-story that runs alongside The Time for Ten. You get to see what happens to Agent Jackie Topman up to the point where she finds the Garde's camp in chapter thirteen. I hope you enjoy!**

Jackie's Beginning - Part 1

I've been called down to my boss' office. Usually, at least if you are a secret agent like me, this is not a good sign. I step into General Sande's office.

"Hello, Agent Topman. Thank you for coming today." General Sande says and waves for me to sit down.

"Did I do anything wrong, sir?" I ask worriedly.

"No, of course not! I just want to tell you about a new group we are working with. They are called the Mogadorians." He explains.

"What exactly do they do?" I question.

"Well, to start off, they are aliens. They are hunting down the twenty-six still surviving of a species called the Loric."

"Wait, back up a bit please. Did you say _aliens_?" I ask with emphasis.

"Yes, you need to get used to that pretty quickly. Anyway, the Loric each have a number they go by, and can only be killed in that order, until recently. Numbers One, Two, and Three are dead. When we tried to kill Number Four, Number Six showed up and broke the charm. Now they can be killed in any order. We have tabs on a guy in his late-twenties in San Diego who has been seen showing unordinary powers. We are putting you with Agent Klade. Good luck." General Sande says and scoots me out of the room. The door slams shut behind me.

I have to find some kid and kill him.

I am now a Loric hunter.

xxxxx

Tania Klade and I are driving west from our base in Arizona to our temporary base in San Diego. Over the car ride so far, we have gotten to know each other very well.

Tania is thirty-nine and has two kids named Sophia, fifteen, and Jeremy, seventeen. Her husband's name is Tom. They live in a small town outside of the Arizona base.

As she tells of her stories of vacations and work travels, she spills her thoughts on our current mission.

"I think it's a little odd that we are out here, hunting down kids with supernatural powers. Don't you?" She asks.

I nod in response. "What's so bad about them anyway?"

"Supposedly they are trying to kill every single Mogadorian for the sake of power." Tania explains.

"So it's okay for the Mogadorians to kill off the Loric, but not for the Loric to kill off the Mogadorians? That doesn't seem fair to me." I respond confusedly.

Tania shrugs. "It's all weird in my opinion."

The rest of the car ride is made in silence. Even though we have socialized, it's still a bit awkward. After another hour, San Diego begins to loom in the distance.

"I wonder if this Loric kid is expecting us." I think aloud.

xxxxx

The day the ten Garde and nine Cepan stepped onto the spaceship alongside six of the Elders, a new era seemed to have started for the Loric.

The nineteen non-elders were separated into groups of three upon arrival on Earth. The groups included two Garde and two Cepans, except for Number Fifteen's group who only got one Cepan. I, number Seventeen, was paired with Number Eighteen.

I am a generally tall guy, about six foot, and have shaggy, blond hair just past ear length on the sides, and brushing my eyelashes on the front. I have green eyes, I know, weird combination, and tan skin. When they asked for us to pick names, I decided to stick with Seventeen. It shows my Lorien pride.

Eighteen, on the other hand, is almost opposite in appearance as me. He is about five foot six inches. He has short, black hair and blue eyes to go with pale skin. I know, another weird combination. He chose the name Andy.

My Cepan's name is Chris. He has brown hair about the normal length for a guy. Andy's Cepan is named Matt.

The four of us quickly resided to San Diego after the landing. As you can imagine, living with three other youngish guys who aren't employed is both very messy and very fun at the same time.

Using some Loric gems we brought with us, we purchased a large house over-looking the Pacific. We have a pool, a hot-tub, four bedrooms and bathrooms, a kitchen, and two sitting rooms which we have turned into a training center.

The four of us train there every day; Chris and Matt happened to bring items to help with the development of Andy and my legacies.

My favorite legacy so far is being able to control the Earth. By Earth, I mean plants, rocks, dirt, et cetera. Andy is lucky because he can walk through any substance. It's something I've always wanted to be able to do.

After about a month of living there, Mat breaks some bad news. He tells us of the Mogadorian Invasion and of the ten Garde in prophecy. We knew the Mogs would come for us next, so since that day we have been training what seems to be nonstop.

Of course, Andy and I have increased everything and telekinesis as does any Garde. Other than those, I'd say we have pretty interesting legacies. As sad as it is, we are both nearing our master legacies.

Andy's legacies include intangibility, the ability to walk through any substance, animation, the ability to bring inanimate objects to life if they would be capable of movement, mediumship, the ability to talk and see the dead on command, impervious skin, the ability to not be hurt by anything external, and antigravity, the ability to control what surface you want to be down. He is a very defensive Garde, while I am quite the opposite.

My legacies include Earth manipulation, the ability to control plants, lava, dirt, et cetera, summoning, the ability to store and grab objects in another dimension, power sense, the ability to detect what legacies another has, legacy cancellation and transference, the ability to both trade a legacy with another or to cancel another's legacy, telepathy, the ability to talk to others via your mind, and retrocognition, the ability to view or recognize events of the past. These make me mainly an offensive Garde, but putting offensive and defensive together makes a strong team.

xxxxx

It has now been ten years since the news of the invasion. We received word of a Garde in Ohio, so Matt and Chris decided to take a road trip to collect him. I was communicating with Chris as they neared the town, Paradise. At one point I took a break to save my legacy energy, and when I came back, the worst had happened.

I can hear Chris panting inside my head. He is running somewhere, from something.

"Seventeen!" He says quickly in his mind when he feels my presence.

"What's happening there?" I ask worriedly.

"Something is going on, I think they've found the Garde. They killed Matt, Seventeen. Right in front of my eyes," He says with a sniff.

I stand there with my mouth agape. I look over toward Andy in the training room. I don't know if I can rack up the nerve to tell him.

"I can't believe it. Do you have any new information on the Garde?" I ask, still stunned.

"All I know is that he is Number Four." Chris says. "I just stopped by his house to find it empty. I hear commotion by the school, I'm gonna go check it out. Wish me luck."

"You'll be okay." I say shortly after, and then our connection goes out.

The thing is, I really don't know if he will be.

xxxxx

Tania and I have spent three days getting to know San Diego. We've decided it's time to move in and kill this Loric.

I've been doing inventory stock while Tania's been working on locating the Loric's exact location. We have multiple guns along with ammo, and bullet proof vests. There is one dagger for each of us.

"The Loric's at 777 Longbend Way. Ready to go?" Tania yells from the computer room. We decked out the place during the three days, too.

We gather our individual supplies and put on our vests. We jump in the car downstairs and Tania starts it up. We cruise down the road and head toward the shore.

"Tania, have you thought about how maybe giving this Loric a chance before we kill him would be a good thing?" I ask calmly.

"Are you kidding? We were told by our_ boss_ to kill it, and that's what we'll do!" She responds, slightly angered.

"It just doesn't feel right. How did they even find him?" I question.

"A report about moving statues came in, and they tracked the ship landing dates to house buying dates. These Mogs sure know what they're doing!" She explains happily.

_It still doesn't all seem fair_, I think to myself as I lean back into my chair.

About ten minutes later, Tania parks on the edge of Longbend and Oak as to not lead suspicions. We hop out of the car and load our guns, then we slowly walk to our next destination.

765... 767...

We are nearing the house.

769... 771...

My hands begin to sweat.

773... 775...

I am shaking nervously. I don't think this is a great idea.

777.

We are here.

"You ready?" Tania asks as she loads her shotgun.

"No, I can't do this." I respond.

"Fine, whatever suits you. Just cover my back." She responds and knocks down their door. "Put your hands up, where I can see them!"

xxxxx

It has been two days since I last connected with Chris. I've come to assume the worst. My last words to him, "You'll be okay", were a complete lie. It makes me feel terrible.

Andy left to buy groceries. He didn't take the news of our deceased Cepans very well. He has been silent and practicing viciously for the time since.

I grab a granola bar from the kitchen and sit down at the computer. I search for any new Garde activity.

There is an article on a bunch of sound and an unusually high tourist rate somewhere in Spain. I scroll past it. Then something catches my eye.

"John Smith, infamous terrorist, escapes Federal Prison bus alongside accomplice Stanley Worthington." Reads the article.

As I click on it, a loud crash comes from the other side of the kitchen. I jump up and summon my short-sword from the air. It appears in front of me and I grab it.

"Put your hands up, where I can see them!" A lady's voice yells from where the sound was.

I call out to Andy.

"Andy? Help, quick. Police are here." I send telepathically to him.

"On my way." He responds abruptly.

"Who are you and what the hell do you want?" I yell back to the lady.

I am Agent Tania Klade of the F.B.I. We know you are a Loric and we have come to kill you. There is backup outside. Please step around the corner and make this easy." Agent Klade yells back.

I decide to stay silent and wait for her to come to me instead.

"Fine, the hard way it is." She says.

The second her foot crosses the threshold, I flip her upside down and grab her gun with telekinesis. She screams and I chuckle.

"You should never underestimate the power of a single Garde." I tell her.

"They didn't tell me you had powers!" Agent Klade yells.

"So they also didn't tell you that the Mogs killed all but twenty-six of my kind, leaving us to struggle to survive on a foreign planet? Yeah, I didn't think so." I sass.

"Wait... Is that true?" She asks.

"I don't see the point of lying." I say.

At that moment, another woman walks in with Andy on her heels.

"She explained herself." He says and throws her pistol on the ground.

"I want to make an offer." The woman starts.

Agent Klade gives her a glare, but I nod for her to continue.

"If I made a miniature army of people to fight for the Loric, would you fight by our side?" She asks.

"Wait, so you go from killing us to business deals?" I question her.

"Just, is it a yes or no?" She demands.

"We'll see." I respond as I flip Agent Klade back to her feet.

I walk up to the newer women.

"Hi, I am Number Seventeen."

****Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of Jackie's Beginning! Please review, it helps a lot with the writing process. Thanks again!**


	4. The Ballad of Shooting Stars

****Hey, guys! A new short story for you all to enjoy! This time, it is a little deeper in thought than normal. I hope you enjoy!**

Short Story 4 - The Ballad of Shooting Stars

Marina

_"Do you remember the look of the stars? They were magnificent; every single one a different story, and something special to make them each shine bright. Us Garde work like stars. We each have a different knack and personality. We each show our talent in different ways. All of us together, we are stronger than the stars. We become one; we become our own universe; and we need to be proud of that." _

If there was one thing I remember Adelina by, it would be this quote.

When we were traveling from Italy to Spain, she told me it.

We had snuck into a motel at one o'clock in the morning. My name was Sophie Astrid at the time, and Adelina was already Adelina.

I am first in the shower, blasting hot water to rinse off the muck and grime from weeks on the run. We are starving, a lack of food since we do not have Loric Gems at our dispense.

As Adel takes her shower, I begin to think of the boy again.

There is one thing that I've never told anybody, and it is about my visions of this boy. He has curly black hair, and is tanned. He is muscular, but not too muscular to make him ugly. His hazel eyes shine bright, and they remind me of the sea. His eyes, actually, are a part of what inspired me to come up with my next name, Marina of the Sea.

This boy, the one in my dreams, I believe him to be one of us, the seven Garde still alive and training to survive.

Adelina doesn't want to begin my training until I've gained my legacies. Although I have telekinesis and always had enhanced performances, she never thought it was time. I'm hoping a legacy will kick in soon.

I decide to take a walk down to the lobby. I have a dollar in quarters, so hopefully there is a vending machine. I write a note to Adel to make sure she doesn't flip, and then I sneak out the door.

The night air hits me like a cold glass of water; both refreshing and stinging at the same time. Cars whiz by on the main road as I walk down the metal steps; a clink ringing every time I step down. The pavement stretches across the parking lot and to the main lobby. There are about five cars and two trucks parked here. In one of the trucks I see a couple making out, tongues and all. I look away with a shiver. Another car has a lady in sweatpants and a baggy tee shirt passed out on the dashboard. A third holds a larger man with McDonalds wrappers strewn across the seats.

I then look at the night sky.

The stars stretch across my field of view, alongside the majestic moon to give them character.

"_Do you remember the look of the stars? They were magnificent; every single one a different story, and something special to make them each shine bright."_

The North Star glimmers in the distance; its white light shining down to Earth to give us thoughts about how small we truly are. What I really am doing is looking into the past. This light that I am seeing happened a long time ago, so I am looking at what has already happened.

That gets me thinking, is there some way we can reverse time and go back to before all this Mogadorian bullshit started, and just relive our lives in peace on our home planet? I really hope the answer is yes.

Suddenly, the boy in my head appears again, this time outlined in the stars. He begins to sing a wonderful ballad.

_The stars shine brightly on the horizon,_

_The ones who have survived live,_

_The ones who kill are searching,_

_For eons, on and on, they begin_

_Hope is inside them all,_

_But to no avail,_

_Only one side can win,_

_The stronger beat the strongest, only by pure skill _

_Success does not come without sacrifice,_

_The survivors will soon learn to lie,_

_Setbacks lead to disfunction, _

_The Garde are soon to die._

The last line of the boy's ballad sticks in my head, and I can't shake it off.

_The Garde are soon to die._

The boy fades out of the stars, and the night sky is once again clear. I am shaking, but not from the normal cold and hunger, this time from what the boy has sung.

I walk in through the double doors at the motel entrance, and to my excitement, there is a vending machine. I put in the quarters and buy a bag of cheetos. I walk back to the chairs by the motel window and look outside, feeling the concierge's glare in my subconsciousness.

The stars are a magnificent sight to see.

I begin to think about the boy again.

The boy has his own quirks and differences, and that makes him seem more appealing. He appears to know a lot of information, and he is kind of cute.

_"__Us Garde work like stars. We each have a different knack and personality. We each show our talent in different ways.__"_

Adel's quote comes into play again, and it truly means something in this case.

Me, Number Seven, I may think I am useless and never going to be as strong as the others, but that may be my quirk or difference that helps to put the Garde together as one.

This thought settles my disagreement. The Garde need to meet up to train, and soon, or else the Mogs will kill us all easily.

_ "__All of us together, we are stronger than the stars. We become one; we become our own universe; and we need to be proud of that."_

Adel was right. We need to group together and become our own special universe. Together, we can be strong, and we need to be proud of who we are and what we have to do.

We are the Garde, we are Lorien's Legacies, and we need to make our mark.

Just then, Adel walks in with wet hair to receive another angry glare from the concierge man.

_ "_You feeling all right?" She asks, concerned.

"Yeah... I've just been thinking. Do you remember that time you said the quote about the stars?" I ask.

"Of course, it is my favorite quote. My mother told me it a few days before the invasion." She responds quietly, her tone with somber.

"Well, I had a vision of another Garde in the stars. He sung me a ballad, a beautiful ballad, about the Prophecy of Ten." I tell her.

"And what exactly did he say in this vision?" Adel asks softly.

"Too much stuff... But I do know what we should call it."

"And what is that?" She asks.

"The Ballad of Shooting Stars." I say, and as if planned, a shooting star flashes across the night sky.

xxxxx

It is now four years later, and Adelina has taken in the Christian religion a little too much if you ask me. She doesn't want to leave the convent in Spain, even with my constant begs and pleads. I know we need to keep on the move, and she does too, but this place makes her happy, and we are treated well. The signs of leaving do not sound too good.

After another short dispute about leaving, I huff and begin to walk up the stairs. It is time for bed anyway. As I go, I begin to quietly sing a familiar tune that has traveled with me ever since the motel.

_The stars shine brightly on the horizon,_

_The ones who have survived live,_

_The ones who kill are searching,_

_For eons, on and on, they begin_

_Hope is inside them all,_

_But to no avail,_

_Only one side can win,_

_The stronger beat the strongest, only by pure skill _

_Success does not come without sacrifice,_

_The survivors will soon learn to lie,_

_Setbacks lead to disfunction, _

_The Garde are soon to die._

As cruel as it ends, it means a lot to me, and every time I look up into the night sky I see the boy, and he sings this ballad to me.

The crickets outside echo throughout the hallway and bedroom, and I then crawl into my own bed. When I close my eyes, the boy appears again.

This time, he takes my hand and leads me to an oak tree in the middle of a field. The scene quickly changes to night as we sit, and he turns to me with his wonderful hazel eyes.

"Let me sing you a ballad... The Ballad of Shooting Stars." He says.

I lay with my head on his stomach, and I listen to his beautiful voice as the stars glisten and shimmer.

Suddenly, a shooting star whizzes by overhead.

With the star in my head, and fond memories rushing in, I join along in the singing of the ballad.

At the end of the song, I turn to the boy.

"You know, there is one more part I think we should add to your ballad. It may not sound as well, but I think it can give the Garde hope after what they have learned." I say.

"And what is that?" He asks smoothly.

I begin. "Do you remember the look of the stars? They were magnificent; every single one a different story, and something special to make them each shine bright. Us Garde work like stars. We each have a different knack and personality. We each show our talent in different ways. All of us together, we are stronger than the stars. We become one; we become our own universe; and we need to be proud of that."

"I think that would fit in nicely." The boy says happily.

"Oh, and one last thing." I say.

He raises his eyebrows.

"Lets end it saying the title, just to make the point round." I explain.

Our eye contact says everything after my sentence.

"The Ballad of Shooting Stars, bringing the Garde back together as if they were one." We say in unison, and we lean into a kiss.

The Ballad of Shooting Stars; a deep ballad to give inspiration, hope, and confidence.

A ballad to give the Garde something to fight for.

****So I hope you guys enjoyed! It was a little bit different, and it does take place before I Am Number Four. Please review, I truly do appreaciate them! **


End file.
